System and method for identifying a location of interest to be named by a user

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for identifying a location for naming includes a monitoring module that is configured to monitor actions taken by a user via a mobile communication device and to monitor a location of the mobile communication device when an action is taken by the user and at predetermined time intervals. The apparatus also includes a data store for storing user-specific location information and user-specific action information associated with the location monitored by the monitoring module and a location naming module that is configured to calculate a relevance rating of the location based on the user-specific action information associated with the location and on the user-specific location information, and to prompt the user to name the location based on its relevance rating.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present invention is related to co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 11/425,650, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING ADESCRIPTOR FOR A LOCATION TO A RECIPIENT”, and to co-pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/425,623, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR NAMINGA LOCATION BASED ON USER-SPECIFIC INFORMATION”, both filed on Jun. 21,2006, and assigned to the assignee of the present application and hereinincorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

Handheld electronic devices, such as personal digital assistants (PDAs),mobile phones, digital cameras, and the like, offer mobility and avariety of services to their respective users. They are typicallyconfigured to transmit and receive data to and from other devices via awired or wireless connection. Most mobile phones, for example, canprovide Internet access, maintain a personal address book, providemessaging capabilities, capture digital images, as well as place phonecalls.

Many devices, in particular mobile phones, can identify their respectivelocations within a certain range depending on the device and locationidentifying technique. Some devices can use a sophisticated positiondetermining system, such as a Global Positioning System (GPS). The GPSis a satellite-based radio navigation system that uses signals fromthree or four satellites to compute the current latitude, longitude andelevation of a GPS receiver in the device anywhere on earth down towithin a few meters. Other devices can use a location identifyingtechnique based on which base station is servicing the device, that is,the location of the device is within a range of the base station fromwhich a call is made. Other devices can use location identifyingtechniques based on triangulation between the device and at least twobase stations.

The device's location, typically represented by geospatial coordinates,can be used in a variety of ways. For example, geographical informationsystems (GISs) exist that map geospatial coordinates to street addressesor location names. The street address or name corresponding to thegeospatial coordinates can be associated with an image captured by thedevice at the location and stored as metadata. The metadata can then beused to categorize the image or to remind the user of the location ofwhere the image was captured.

Alternatively, or in addition, the user can associate other informationwith a location. The other information can be a description of, or apersonalized name for, the location. For example, the user can provide aname of a location based on a favorite store, e.g., “Charbucks,” at ornear that location, or based on a description of an event, e.g., “caféwhere I had lunch with Sally.” In this manner, the location name can bepersonalized and relevant to the user.

Typically, the user can provide a name of a location when the usercaptures an image or visits the location. Nevertheless, unless the useris prompted to name the location, the user can easily forget, or be toodistracted, to provide a name at the time the picture is taken or at thetime of the visit. If the user attempts to name the location later, hemay have problems remembering the location, and even if the userremembers the location, he may have difficulties specifying itaccurately to the device so that it can be used as metadata. On theother hand, if the device prompts the user to name a location every timean image is captured or at every location visited, the user can easilybe overwhelmed with prompts to name locations that are of no interest tothe user.

SUMMARY

Accordingly, an apparatus and method for identifying a location ofinterest for a user to name are described. According to one exemplaryembodiment, the apparatus includes a monitoring module configured tomonitor actions taken by a user via a mobile communication device and tomonitor a location of the mobile communication device when an action istaken by the user and at predetermined time intervals, and a data storefor storing user-specific location information and user-specific actioninformation associated with the location monitored by the monitoringmodule. The apparatus also includes a location naming module. Accordingto aspects of one embodiment, the location naming module is configuredto calculate a relevance rating of the location based on theuser-specific action information associated with the location and on theuser-specific location information, and to prompt the user to name thelocation based on its relevance rating.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a method of identifying alocation to be named includes monitoring actions taken by a user via amobile communication device, and a location of the mobile communicationdevice when an action is taken by the user and at predetermined timeintervals and storing user-specific location information anduser-specific action information associated with the location monitoredin a data store. The method further includes determining a relevancerating of the location based on the user-specific location informationand user-specific action information associated with the location, andprompting the user to provide a name for the location based on therelevance rating.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings provide visual representations which will beused to more fully describe the representative embodiments disclosedhere and can be used by those skilled in the art to better understandthe representative embodiments and their inherent advantages. In thesedrawings, like reference numerals identify corresponding elements, and:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary location namingsystem according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2A-2C are more detailed block diagrams illustrating the locationnaming system according to several exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process foridentifying a location for naming according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary location namingmodule according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process fordetermining a relevancy rating for a location according to an exemplaryembodiment; and

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process forgenerating a message according to an exemplary embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various aspects will now be described in connection with exemplaryembodiments, including certain aspects described in terms of sequencesof actions that can be performed by elements of a computing device orsystem. For example, it will be recognized that in each of theembodiments, at least some of the various actions can be performed byspecialized circuits or circuitry (e.g., discrete and/or integratedlogic gates interconnected to perform a specialized function), byprogram instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by acombination of both. Thus, the various aspects can be embodied in manydifferent forms, and all such forms are contemplated to be within thescope of what is described.

According to an exemplary embodiment, a location of potential interestto a user of a mobile communication device is identified based on theuser's presence at or near the location and a history of actionsperformed or taken by the user using the device at or near the location.Actions performed by the user can include interactions with other usersusing the device. The user's presence at or near the location can bequantified by the number of times the user visits the location and theamount of time the user spends at or near the location. For example, alocation may be one of interest if the user is moving in a certaindirection and stops for a while or backs up and moves in or around thelocation. Likewise, if the user stops and spends an amount of time at ornear the location, e.g., as in a store or in a restaurant, the locationmay be of interest.

The history of actions and interactions at or near a location can alsobe indicative of the location's relevance to the user. For example, ifthe user has stopped and taken an action, e.g., captured pictures, at ornear the location on previous occasions, then the likelihood that thelocation is one of relative importance increases. Similarly, if the userhas initiated several interactions, e.g., phone calls, at or near thelocation, the relative importance of the location can increase.

According to one embodiment, a location's relevance can be based on thenumber of times the user performs an action, e.g., captures an image, oran interaction with another user, e.g., initiates a phone call or sendsa text message, using the mobile communication device, and on the numberof times the user has visited the location and the amount of time theuser has spent in the location during a predetermined time interval. Theuser is then prompted to name those locations that are of highestpotential relevance to the user. In this manner, the user is notprompted to name every location visited by the user or every locationwhere the user has performed an action/interaction.

According to one embodiment, the user is prompted to name a location ator near the time the location is identified as one of potential interestso that the user can provide an appropriate name. According to anexemplary embodiment, the prompt can include a message that describesthe location based on when the user was last at or near the location andwhat actions/interactions were taken at or near the location such thatthe user can decide whether the location is in fact one of interest anddeserving of a name. The user can be prompted while the user is usingthe mobile communication device or within a period of time after theuser has performed an action/interaction using the device. When the userprovides a name for a location, the name can then be associated with thelocation and stored so that the name can be retrieved when the userreturns to the location.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary arrangement for alocation naming system 100 according to an exemplary embodiment. One ormore network-enabled mobile communication devices 110, such as a digitalcamera/phone, PDA, laptop or the like, are in communication with alocation naming server 300 over a network 10. A data store 150 includesgeneral geospatial information relating to a plurality of locations andis accessed by the device 11 0 or the location naming server 300 overthe network 10. The general geospatial information 150 is typicallypublic information that can include geographical information 152 thatmaps the geospatial coordinates to street names and building names andone or more directories 154 that provide other information associatedwith street addresses.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the system 100 includes means formonitoring actions taken by a user and via a mobile communication deviceand for monitoring a location of the mobile communication device when anaction is taken by the user and at predetermined time intervals, such asa monitoring module 200 that is in communication with the devices 110and with the location naming server 300 over the network 10. In anexemplary embodiment, the monitoring module 200 is configured to collectinformation relating to a user's presence at or near a location, and ahistory of actions, including interactions, by the user 120 using thedevice 11 0 at or near the location. The system further includes meansfor storing user-specific location information and user-specific actioninformation associated with the location monitored by the monitoringmodule, such as the monitoring module 200, which is configured to storeand manage the collected information in a data store 220.

FIG. 2A is a more detailed block diagram of the location naming system100 according to an exemplary embodiment. Each device 110 includescircuitry that can track a position of the device 110. For example, thedevice 110 can include a position locator system 112 that tracks theposition of the device 110. The position locator system 112 can be thewell known global positioning system (GPS) that utilizes satellites 140(FIG. 1) to determine the device's longitudinal and latitudinalposition. Alternatively, the position locator system 112 can beconfigured to utilize one or more base stations 130 within communicationrange to determine the device's location. Each mobile communicationdevice 110 also includes circuitry for communicating with the locationnaming server 300 and monitoring module 200. For example, the device 110can include a communication interface 118 coupled to a user interface120 and input/output (I/O) module 114 that allows the user 120 to usethe device 110 to communicate with the server 300 over a wirelessnetwork 10 using one or more communication protocols.

The monitoring module 200 can be a personal computer or other devicecapable of collecting, storing and managing data. The monitoring module200 can include a communication interface (not shown) to receive andtransmit data over the network 10. In one embodiment, the monitoringmodule 200 monitors actions taken by the user 120 using the mobilecommunication device 11 0 and monitors the location of the device 110when actions are taken by the user and at predetermined time intervals.In one embodiment, the monitoring module 200 is configured to collectand maintain user-specific action information 224 that includes thenumber of times the user 120 performs an action and/or interaction usingthe device 110 at or near the location during a first predetermined timeinterval, e.g., one (1) hour. Predetermined time intervals, such as thefirst predetermined time interval, can include a time period over whichthe relevance of a location is determined. Such time intervals can beconfigured by an administrator or user of the system 100, or be set as adefault in the various components of the system 100 that determines therelevance of a location. In addition, the monitoring module 200 isconfigured to collect and maintain user-specific location information222 that includes short-term presence information including the numberof times the user 120 is present at or near the location during thefirst predetermined time interval and/or the amount of time the user ispresent at or near the location during the first predetermined timeinterval. The user-specific location information 222 and theuser-specific action information 224 are stored in the data store 220.

The location naming server 300 can be a personal computer or otherdevice capable of processing data. The location naming server 300includes a communication interface 302 to transmit and receive data overthe network 10. In one embodiment, the location naming server 300 isconfigured to retrieve user-specific information from the data store 220over the network 10 via the monitoring module 200.

The system 100 further includes means for prompting the user to name thelocation based on the user-specific action information associated withthe location and on the user-specific location information. For example,according to an exemplary embodiment, the location naming server 300includes a location naming module 310 which is communicatively coupledto the communication interface 302. The location naming module 310 isconfigured to determine a relevance rating of a location based on theuser-specific action information associated with the location and on theuser-specific location information. In one embodiment, the locationnaming module 310 prompts the user 120 to name the location based on itsrelevance rating.

The system 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A is but one exemplaryarrangement. In this arrangement, a “thin” mobile communication device110 can be accommodated because the user-specific location information222 and action information 224 can be stored remotely and thefunctionality of the monitoring module 200 and the location namingmodule 310 can be included in separate servers. Other arrangements canbe designed by those skilled in the art. For example, in one embodimentshown in FIG. 2B, the functionality of the monitoring module 200 and thedata store 220 can be included in the location naming server 300 b sothat the location naming server 300 b securely manages the user-specificinformation 220.

In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 2C, the mobile communication device110 c can perform the functions of the location naming module 310 andthe monitoring module 200, and store the user-specific information 220internally in the device memory (not shown). In this arrangement, thelocation naming server 300 is not required. Variations of theseembodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modificationsmay be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.For example, the functionality of monitoring module 200 can beintegrated with that of the mobile communication device 110 and can beconfigured to transmit the user-specific location information 222 anduser-specific action information 224 to the location naming module 310,which stores and manages the information in the data store 220. In thisexample, the location naming module 310, instead of the monitoringmodule 200, can manage the information in the data store 220.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary process foridentifying a location for naming according to one embodiment. Referringto FIGS. 1, 2A-2C and FIG. 3, the exemplary process begins when themonitoring module 200 monitors actions taken by the user 120 via themobile communication device 110 and the location of the mobilecommunication device when the action is taken by the user 120 and atpredetermined time intervals (block 350). In one embodiment, a locationcan be a contiguous region, e.g., a 25 meters by 25 meters square, wheredifferent locations do not overlap and where a plurality of contiguouslocations define an entire geographical region of interest. The locationcan be represented by a set of geospatial coordinates, and the user'sposition can be identified by geospatial coordinates generated by theposition locator system 112 in the device 110 or provided by the user120 via the I/O module 114. The geospatial coordinates of theuser/device 110 can be used to identify at least one position at or nearthe location through the geographical information 202.

In one embodiment, the monitoring module 200 monitors the device'slocation and collects the user-specific location information 222 byquerying the position locator system 112 in the device 110 at a fixedtime interval. For example, the monitoring module 200 can collect theuser-specific location information 222 every 30 seconds. In anotherembodiment, the monitoring module 200 can collect the information 222 ata time interval proportional to a velocity of the mobile communicationdevice 110. For example, the time interval can be the 80 divided by thedevice's velocity. The monitoring module 200 can monitor the user'sactions and collect the user-specific action information 224 by queryingthe position locator system 112 in the device 110 when the user performsan action, e.g., takes a picture, or initiates an interaction, e.g.,makes a call or sends a message.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the monitoring module 200 monitorsthe user's actions and keeps track of the number of times the user 120performs an action and/or interaction using the device 110 at or nearthe location during a first predetermined time interval, e.g., one (1)hour. In addition, the monitoring module 200 monitors the device'sposition and keeps track of the number of times the user 120 is presentat or near the location during the first predetermined time intervaland/or the amount of time the user is present at or near the locationduring the first predetermined time interval. This information, referredto above as the user-specific action information 224 and user-specificlocation information 222, respectively, is stored in the data store 220(block 352).

According to an exemplary embodiment, a relevance calculation module 312in the location naming module 310, shown in FIG. 4, determines arelevance rating for the location based on the user-specific locationinformation 222 and the user-specific action information 224 associatedwith the location (block 354). According to an exemplary embodiment, therelevance calculation module 312 (or, perhaps, the location namingmodule 310 itself) can maintain a dynamic list of potentially relevantlocations based on the relevance rating for which the user exhibitsnonzero short-term presence over the first predetermined interval. Withsuch an arrangement, the user-specific location information 222,including the user's short-term presence information, can be updated atpredetermined intervals, (e.g., every 30 seconds), and the user-specificaction information 224 can be updated whenever an action (orinteraction) using the device 110 takes place.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for determiningthe relevance rating for the location according to one embodiment. Theprocess begins when the relevance calculation module 312 retrieves theuser-specific location 222 and user-specific action 224 informationassociated with the location from the data store 220 (block 500). In oneembodiment, the information 222, 224 can be retrieved via the monitoringmodule 200. In another embodiment, a data manager 313 in the locationnaming module 310, shown in FIG. 4, can retrieve the information 222,224 directly from the data store 220.

Once the information 222, 224 is retrieved, the relevance calculationmodule 312 can determine a significance factor of the location (block502). In one embodiment, the significance factor increases as theuser-specific location information 222 increases and as theuser-specific action information 224 increases. Accordingly, thesignificance factor of a location increases as the number of times theuser is present at or near the location during the first predeterminedtime interval and/or as the amount of time the user is present at ornear the location increases. In addition, the significance factorincreases as the number of times the user performs an action and/orinteraction with another user using the device 11 0 at or near thelocation during the first predetermined time interval increases.

In one embodiment, the significance factor can be a weighted calculationbased on the user-specific location information 222 and theuser-specific action information 224. In this embodiment, a highestweight can be applied to the number of actions performed, e.g., thenumber of image capture events, and a lowest weighting to theuser-specific location information 222, i.e., the number of times and/orthe amount of time the user is present at or near the location duringthe first predetermined time interval (N_(present)). For example, theuser-specific action information 224, can be split into itssubcomponents corresponding to the number of actions, N_(actions), andthe number of interactions, N_(interactions), and the significancefactor, S, of the location can be determined by the following weightedsum:S=20(N _(actions))+5 (N _(interactions))+1 (N _(present))  Equation (1)

In this embodiment, the higher weighting for the number of actionsreflects an assumption that when actions are taken at a particularlocation, the probability that the location is interesting to the user120 is high. Similarly, the lowest weighting for the locationinformation reflects the assumption that the user's presence at or neara location is not necessarily indicative of the location's relevance tothe user 120. In other embodiments, the weighting can be adjusted toreflect different assumptions regarding the user's behavior.

According to one embodiment, the location's relevance rating can becalculated based on the significance factor alone (block 508). In oneembodiment, the relevance rating is directly proportional to thesignificance factor, i.e., it increases as the significance factor ofthe location increases.

According to another embodiment, the location relevance rating can beaffected by other factors, such as a user's long-term presenceinformation and the amount of time that has passed since the user's lastvisit to the location. In one embodiment, the relevance calculationmodule 312 can determine a time lapse between the current time and thelast time the user was present at or near the location (block 504) andretrieve the number of times the user 120 was present at or near thelocation during a second predetermined time interval that is greaterthan the first predetermined time interval (block 506). In oneembodiment, the second predetermined time interval can be a long termperiod relative to the first predetermined time interval, which is ashort term period. For example, the long term period can be one (1)month or one (1) year, while the short term period can be one (1) hour.

According to this embodiment, the relevance rating of the location canbe calculated from the significance factor, the time lapse (t_(lapse))and/or the long term presence information (N_(long term)) (block 508).In one embodiment, the relevance rating is directly proportional to thesignificance factor, and inversely proportional to the time lapse and tothe long term presence information. That is, the relevance ratingdecreases as either or both of the time lapse and the long term presenceinformation increases. In one embodiment, the relevance rating, R, canbe calculated using the following equation:R=S[(1+t _(lapse)) (log (2+N _(long term)))]¹  Equation (2)

The inverse relationship reflects the assumption that as the amount oftime increases between the current time and the last time the user 120was present at or near the location, the relevancy of the location tothe user 120 decreases. Similarly, as the number of times the user 120is present at or near the location over a long term period increases,the more likely that the location is a routine destination and not oneof particular interest to the user 120.

Referring again to FIG. 3, once the relevance rating of the location isdetermined (block 354), the location naming module 310 determines, basedon the relevance rating, whether to prompt the user 120 to provide aname for the location (block 356). In one embodiment, the locationnaming module 310 compares the relevance rating of the location to athreshold value, and if the relevance rating is greater than or equal tothe threshold value, the user 120 will be prompted. For example, if therelevance rating is based on the significance factor only, and thesignificance factor is calculated according to the weighting in Equation(1) above, then when the threshold value is set at 10, a single action(weighted at 20), or two (2) interactions, or 10 presence observationswill result in the relevance rating exceeding the threshold.

If the location naming module 310 determines that the user 120 shouldnot be prompted to name the location (block 358) because, for example,the relevance rating does not exceed the threshold value, the processreturns to the monitoring the user's actions and the device's location(block 350). Otherwise, the location naming module 310 determines thatthe user 120 should be prompted to name the location. In one embodiment,the location naming module 310 first determines whether the user 120 isavailable to receive the prompt (block 360). In one embodiment, the user120 is available when she is actively using the mobile communicationdevice 110 or has recently used the device 110 within a specified timeperiod, e.g., 10 seconds. In one embodiment, the location naming module310 can call the monitoring module 200 to make this determination. Ifthe user 120 is using or has recently used the device 110, e.g. takingpictures or sending messages to others, the location naming module 310can send a message to the user during use or immediately after the user120 has stopped actively using the device 110 (block 362). Otherwise,the location naming module 310 can wait until the user 120 is available(block 361).

In an exemplary embodiment, the message describes the location based onthe user's most recent actions at or near the location and/or a timewhen the user 120 was last present at or near the location, and promptsthe user 120 to name the location. In one embodiment, the locationnaming module 310 can call a message generator 314, shown in FIG. 4, tocompose the message. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplaryprocess for composing the message according to one embodiment. Themessage generator 314 identifies the location to be named based on therelevance rating (block 600) and then determines the user's last actionand/or interaction at or near the location (block 602). In oneembodiment, the message generator 314 retrieves the user-specific actioninformation 224 from the data store 224 directly using the data manager313, or via the monitoring module 200. The message generator 314 thendetermines a time lapse between the current time and the last time theuser 120 was present at or near the location (block 604). In addition,the message generator 314 can also retrieve general geospatialinformation 150 from the network 10 to describe the location.

After collecting this information, the message generator 314 generatesthe message based on at least one of the action and interactioninformation and the time lapse (block 606). In one embodiment, themessage generator 314 is configured to generate messages that aremeaningful to the user 120. For example, the following are exemplarymessages:

-   -   The place about 100 feet North where you turned back    -   The intersection of 8^(th) Avenue and 35^(th) Street, about a        block back    -   The place where you stood in Times Square 10 minutes ago    -   The place in Times Square where you stopped this time and on        your last visit to New York

In an exemplary embodiment, the message can be generated using atemplate that is completed according to the information retrieved. Forexample, if the user 120 performed an action/interaction at the locationand the location is the latest position where the specified type ofaction was performed by the user 120, then a description can begenerated by filling a template as follows:

-   -   Where you last took a picture (and showing a thumbnail of the        picture if possible); or    -   Where you last sent a reminder (and showing a part of the        reminder notification) If the location is not the latest        position where the specified type of action was performed or if        the time lapse exceeds a minimum time period, e.g., 5 minutes,        then description can be generated by filling a template as        follows:    -   Where you took a picture <time-lapse> ago [and showing a        thumbnail of the picture if possible]

In another embodiment, the message generator 314 can use a time templateto generate the message. For example, the following guidelines can beimplemented:

-   -   If 0<time-lapse <2 minutes then, the describe time using        “just”—E.g., Where you “just” took a picture    -   If 2 minutes <time-lapse <10 minutes (inclusive), then describe        time as “<time-lapse>minutes ago”—E.g., Where you took a picture        “8 minutes ago.”    -   If 10 minutes <time-lapse<59 minutes (inclusive), then describe        time as “about X minutes ago” where X is the time-lapse in        minutes rounded to the nearest 5 minutes—E.g., Where you took a        picture “about 25 minutes ago.”    -   60 minutes <time-lapse<1 day (inclusive), then describe time as        “at about Y” where Y is the local time at the location rounded        to the nearest half hour—E.g., Where you took a picture “at        about 11:30 AM.” In addition, terms such as “this” or “last” or        “today” or “yesterday” or “morning” or “afternoon” or “night”        can be used together or singularly.

If the user 120 has performed several actions or participated ininteractions at or near the location, the message generator 314 cangenerate a message that summarizes the actions. In one embodiment, thetime descriptor can cover a time period so that the description soundsnatural. For example:

-   -   Where you took 5 pictures 20-25 minutes ago;    -   Where you sent 3 emails from 3:30 to 4:10 PM today.

Referring again to FIG. 3, after the location naming module 310generates the message, it sends it to the mobile communication device 110 associated with the user 120 (block 362). In one embodiment, themessage can prompt the user 120 to name two or more locations when morethan one location satisfies the criteria for prompting. In thisembodiment, the location naming module 310 can generate a list where thelocations are ordered according to their respective relevance ratings,and send the list in the message to the device 110. In anotherembodiment, the message can prompt the user 120 to name the locationwith the highest relevance rating.

In one embodiment, the device 110 receives the message via thecommunication interface 118 and the message is displayed to the user 120on the device's user interface 120. The user 120 can provide a name forthe location. In one embodiment, the user 120 can utilize the system andmethod described in co-pending patent application Ser. No. 11/425,623,entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR NAMING A LOCATION BASED ON USER-SPECIFICINFORMATION,” filed Jun. 21, 2006, and assigned to the assignee of thepresent invention. Here, a name generation module automatically providesa name of a location based on an atemporal correlation between generalinformation and user-specific information relating to the location.Because the name for the location is based on user-specific information,the name can be meaningful to the user. The user is not required tothink of and to enter a name for each location, which can be tediouswhen several locations need to be named and when the most appropriatename might not be readily apparent to the user. Once the name has beenprovided, the user 120 can send the name and location back to thelocation naming module via the communication interface 11 8.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the location naming module 310receives the name over the network 10 via the communication interface302 and associates the name with the location (block 364). The name andthe location are then stored in the data store 220 (block 366) so thatthe name can be retrieved when the user 120 returns to the location orwhen the user wishes to share the name with another user. For example,the name for the location can be shared with another user via the systemand method described in co-pending patent application Ser. No.11/425,650, entitled “METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A DESCRIPTOR FOR ALOCATION TO A RECIPIENT,” assigned to the assignee of the present andfiled Jun. 21, 2006.

The executable instructions of a computer program as illustrated in FIG.3, FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 can be embodied in any computer readable medium foruse by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus,or device, such as a computer based system, processor containing system,or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instructionexecution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions.

As used here, a “computer readable medium” can be any means that cancontain, store, the program for use by or in connection with theinstruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computerreadable medium can be, for example, but is not limited to, anelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, orsemiconductor storage system, storage apparatus, storage device, orstorage medium.

More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablemedium can include the following: a portable computer diskette, a randomaccess memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), an erasable programmableread only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a portable compact disc (CD),a portable digital video disc (DVD), and the like.

It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that theconcepts and techniques described here can be embodied in variousspecific forms without departing from the essential characteristicsthereof. The presently disclosed embodiments are considered in allrespects to be illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of theinvention is indicated by the appended claims, rather than the foregoingdescription, and all changes that come within the meaning and range ofequivalence thereof are intended to be embraced.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for identifying a location fornaming, the apparatus comprising: a monitoring module configured tomonitor actions taken by a user via a mobile communication device and tomonitor a location of the mobile communication device when an action istaken by the user and at predetermined time intervals; a data store forstoring user-specific location information, the user-specific locationinformation including at least one of a number of times the user ispresent at or near the location during a first predetermined timeinterval and an amount of time the user is present at or near thelocation, and user-specific action information associated with thelocation monitored by the monitoring module; and a location namingmodule configured to calculate a relevance rating of the location basedon the user-specific action information associated with the location andon the user-specific location information, and to prompt the user toname the location based on its relevance rating, wherein at least one ofthe modules includes at least one electronic hardware component.
 2. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the user-specific action informationincludes a number of times the user has performed at least one of anaction and an interaction with another user using the mobilecommunication device at or near the location during the firstpredetermined time interval.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein thelocation naming module is configured to determine a significance factorof the location that increases as the at least one of the number oftimes the user is present at or near the location during the firstpredetermined time interval and the amount of time the user is presentat or near the location increases and as the number of times the userhas performed the at least one of the action and the interaction withanother user using the mobile communication device at or near thelocation during the first predetermined time interval increases.
 4. Theapparatus of claim 3, wherein the location naming module is configuredto calculate the relevance rating of the location based on thedetermined significance factor of the location, wherein the relevancerating increases as the significance factor of the location increases.5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the location module is configuredto apply a highest weighting to the user-specific action information anda lowest weighting to the short-term presence information in determiningthe significance factor of the location.
 6. The apparatus of claim 3wherein the user-specific location information further includeslong-term presence information including a number of times the user ispresent at or near a location within a second predetermined timeinterval, wherein the second predetermined time interval is a long-termperiod that is greater than the first predetermined time interval, whichis a short-term period.
 7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the locationnaming module is further configured to determine a time lapse between acurrent time and a last time the user was present at or near thelocation, and to calculate the relevance rating of the location based onthe determined significance factor of the location, the long-termpresence information, and on the time lapse, wherein the relevancerating increases as the significance factor of the location increases,decreases as the time lapse increases and decreases as the number oftimes the user is present at or near the location during the secondpredetermined time interval increases.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1wherein the location naming module is further configured to prompt theuser to name one or more locations when the user is actively using orhas used the mobile communication device within a specified time period.9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the location naming module isfurther configured to generate a message for each of the one or morelocations to be named, the message describing the location based on atleast one of an action taken by the user at or near the location and atime when the user was present at or near the location.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the location naming module is furtherconfigured to generate a list of locations to be named, wherein thelocations are ordered according to their relevance ratings.
 11. Theapparatus of claim 1 wherein the location naming module is configured toassociate a name with the location when the user provides the name, andto store the name and the location in the data store, such that the namecan be retrieved when the user returns to the location or when the userwishes to share the name with another user.
 12. The apparatus of claim1, wherein the apparatus is a mobile communication device comprising: acommunication interface coupled to a network; and a position locatorsystem configured to identify the location of the mobile communicationdevice.
 13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the monitoring module isconfigured to query the position locator system to identify the locationof the mobile communication device at least one of at a fixed timeinterval, at a time interval proportional to a velocity of the mobilecommunication device, and when the user performs at least one of anaction and an interaction with another user using the mobilecommunication device.
 14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein theapparatus is a server comprising: a communication interface forcommunicating with a mobile communication device associated with a userover a network and configured to receive information related to theactions taken by the user via the mobile communication device and thelocation of the mobile communication device.
 15. A method of identifyinga location to be named, the method comprising: monitoring actions takenby a user via a mobile communication device, and a location of themobile communication device when an action is taken by the user and atpredetermined time intervals; storing user-specific locationinformation, the user-specific location information including at leastone of a number of times the user is present at or near the locationduring a first predetermined time interval and an amount of time theuser is present at or near the location, and user-specific actioninformation associated with the location monitored in a data store;determining a relevance rating of the location based on theuser-specific location information and user-specific action informationassociated with the location; and prompting the user to provide a namefor the location based on the relevance rating.
 16. The method of claim15 wherein monitoring further includes collecting user-specific actioninformation that includes a number of times the user has performed atleast one of an action and an interaction with another user using themobile communication device at or near the location during the firstpredetermined time interval.
 17. The method of claim 16 furthercomprising determining a significance factor of the location thatincreases as the at least one of the number of times the user is presentat or near the location during the first predetermined time interval andthe amount of time the user is present at or near the location increasesand as the number of times the user has performed the at least one ofthe action and the interaction with another user using the mobilecommunication device at or near the location during the firstpredetermined time interval increases.
 18. The method of claim 17wherein determining the significance factor of the location includes:applying a highest weighting to the user-specific action information anda lowest weighting to the short-term presence information; and summingthe highest weighted user-specific action information and the lowestweighted short-term presence information.
 19. The method of claim 17wherein determining the relevance rating includes calculating therelevance rating based on the determined significance factor, whereinthe relevance rating increases as the significance factor of thelocation increases.
 20. The method of claim 17 wherein monitoringfurther includes collecting user-specific location information thatfurther includes long-term presence information including a number oftimes the user is present at or near the location within a secondpredetermined time interval, wherein the second predetermined timeinterval is a long-term period that is greater than the firstpredetermined time interval, which is a short-term period.
 21. Themethod of claim 20 further including determining a time lapse between acurrent time and a last time the user was present at or near thelocation, and wherein determining the relevance rating of the locationfurther includes: calculating the relevance rating of the location basedon the determined significance factor of the location, the long-termpresence information, and on the time lapse, wherein the relevancerating increases as the significance factor of the location increases,decreases as the time lapse increases and decreases as the number oftimes the user is present at or near the location during the secondpredetermined time interval increases.
 22. The method of claim 15wherein prompting the user to name the location includes: determiningwhen the user is actively using the mobile communication device; andsending a message to the user during use or after the user has stoppedactively using the mobile communication device within a specified timeperiod.
 23. The method of claim 22 wherein the message describes thelocation based on at least one of the user's actions at or near thelocation and a time when the user was last present at or near thelocation.
 24. The method of claim 15 further comprising: associating aname with the location when the user provides the name in response tothe prompting; and storing the name and the location in the data storesuch that the name can be retrieved when the user returns to thelocation or when the user wishes to share the name with another user.25. The method of claim 15 wherein monitoring includes repeatedlyidentifying the location of the mobile communication device at least oneof at a fixed time interval, at a time interval proportional to avelocity of the mobile communication device, and when the user performsat least one of an action and an interaction with another user using themobile communication device.
 26. A computer readable medium containingprogramming instructions for identifying a location to be named, theprogram instructions for performing a method comprising: monitoringactions taken by a user via a mobile communication device, and alocation of the mobile communication device when an action is taken bythe user and at predetermined time intervals; storing user-specificlocation information, the user-specific location information includingat least one of a number of times the user is present at or near thelocation during a first predetermined time interval and an amount oftime the user is present at or near the location, and user-specificaction information associated with the location monitored in a datastore; calculating a relevance rating of the location based on theuser-specific location information and user-specific action informationassociated with the location; and prompting the user to provide a namefor the location based on the relevance rating.
 27. The computerreadable medium of claim 26 wherein instructions for monitoring furtherinclude collecting user-specific action information that includes anumber of times the user has performed at least one of an action and aninteraction with another user using the mobile communication device ator near the location during the first predetermined time interval. 28.The computer readable medium of claim 27 further comprising instructionsfor: determining a significance factor of the location that increases asthe at least one of the number of times the user is present at or nearthe location during the first predetermined time interval and the amountof time the user is present at or near the location increases and as thenumber of times the user has performed the at least one of the actionand the interaction with another user using the mobile communicationdevice at or near the location during the first predetermined timeinterval increases.
 29. The computer readable medium of claim 28 whereininstructions for determining the significance factor of the locationinclude: applying a highest weighting to the user-specific actioninformation and a lowest weighting to the short-term presenceinformation; and summing the highest weighted user-specific actioninformation and the lowest weighted short-term presence information. 30.The computer readable medium of claim 28 wherein instructions fordetermining the relevance rating include calculating the relevancerating based on the determined significance factor, wherein therelevance rating increases as the significance factor of the locationincreases.
 31. The computer readable medium of claim 28 whereininstructions for monitoring further include collecting user-specificlocation information that further includes long-term presenceinformation including a number of times the user is present at or nearthe location within a second predetermined time interval, wherein thesecond predetermined time interval is a long-term period that is greaterthan the first predetermined time interval, which is a short-termperiod.
 32. The computer readable medium of claim 31 further includinginstructions for determining a time lapse between a current time and alast time the user was present at or near the location, and whereininstructions for determining the relevance rating of the locationfurther include: calculating the relevance rating of the location basedon the determined significance factor of the location, the long-termpresence information, and on the time lapse, wherein the relevancerating increases as the significance factor of the location increases,decreases as the time lapse increases and decreases as the number oftimes the user is present at or near the location during the secondpredetermined time interval increases.
 33. The computer readable mediumof claim 26 wherein instructions for prompting the user to name thelocation include: determining when the user is actively using the mobilecommunication device; and sending a message to the user during use orafter the user has stopped actively using the mobile communicationdevice within a specified time period.
 34. The computer readable mediumof claim 26 further comprising instructions for: associating a name withthe location when the user provides the name in response to theprompting; and storing the name and the location in the data store suchthat the name can be retrieved when the user returns to the location orwhen the user wishes to share the name with another user.
 35. Thecomputer readable medium of claim 26 wherein instructions for monitoringinclude repeatedly identifying the location of the mobile communicationdevice at least one of at a fixed time interval, at a time intervalproportional to a velocity of the mobile communication device, and whenthe user performs at least one of an action and an interaction withanother user using the mobile communication device.
 36. An apparatus foridentifying a location for naming, the apparatus comprising: means formonitoring actions taken by a user via a mobile communication device andfor monitoring a location of the mobile communication device when anaction is taken by the user and at predetermined time intervals; meansfor storing user-specific location information, the user-specificlocation information including at least one of a number of times theuser is present at or near the location during a first predeterminedtime interval and an amount of time the user is present at or near thelocation, and user-specific action information associated with thelocation monitored by the monitoring module; and means for prompting theuser to name the location based on the user-specific action informationassociated with the location and on the user-specific locationinformation, wherein at least one of the means includes at least oneelectronic hardware component.